Margaret Elter
Encyclopedia
Margaret Elter or Marguerite d'Elter, was a noblewoman from Guelders
, relative of Anna 't Serclaes (wife of John Hooper
, bishop of Gloucester
), and Protestant refugee in Cambridge
and Strasbourg
.
in Mons
, Hainaut
, in the Low Countries
. In 1547 she fled for religious reasons to Basel
, where she joined the household
of Jacques de Bourgogne
, Lord of Falais. In March 1548 at Strasbourg
she married the Spanish Protestant Francisco de Enzinas
, and shortly afterwards moved with him to England
. A daughter was born in Cambridge
the following year.
When her husband returned to Strasbourg in November 1549, she refused to accompany him, citing the baby's delicate health and the perils of winter travel. She finally joined him in June 1550, accompanied by her niece Anna Elter. A second daughter
was born at Strasbourg in 1551. The plague took hold of the city in the winter of 1552/3, and Margaret Elter died about 1 February 1553, little more than a month after the death of her husband. The orphan
s, Margarita and Beatriz, became wards of the city. Philip Melanchthon offered to take one of them into his home in Wittenberg
, but the city refused.
In July 1555, Anna Elter married the cavalry
officer Guillaume Rabot de Salène, in a match arranged by the Elector Palatine. The couple promoted the interests of the orphans and probably engineered the publication
of Enzinas's Mémoires (which had already attracted the interest of the Protestant martyrologists John Foxe
and Ludwig Rabus
) to secure funds for their maintenance. By these means they succeeded in their goal of keeping the children out of the hands of Catholic relatives in Spain.
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
, relative of Anna 't Serclaes (wife of John Hooper
John Hooper
John Hooper, Johan Hoper, was an English churchman, Anglican Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester. A Protestant Reformer, he was killed during the Marian Persecutions.-Biography:...
, bishop of Gloucester
Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire and has its see in the City of Gloucester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church...
), and Protestant refugee in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
.
Life
Margaret Elter was educated in a conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
in Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, Hainaut
County of Hainaut
The County of Hainaut was a historical region in the Low Countries with its capital at Mons . In English sources it is often given the archaic spelling Hainault....
, in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. In 1547 she fled for religious reasons to Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, where she joined the household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
of Jacques de Bourgogne
Jacques de Bourgogne
Jacques de Bourgogne, seigneur de Falais , was a Flemish nobleman and initially supporter of Calvin. He is known for his letter L'Excuse de Noble Seigneur Jacques de Bourgogne, Seigneur de Falais Et de Bredam.-References:...
, Lord of Falais. In March 1548 at Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
she married the Spanish Protestant Francisco de Enzinas
Francisco de Enzinas
Francisco de Enzinas , also known by the humanist name Francis Dryander , was a classical scholar, translator, author, and Protestant apologist of Spanish origin.-Family and Education:Francisco de Enzinas was born in Burgos, Spain, probably on 1 November 1518...
, and shortly afterwards moved with him to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. A daughter was born in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
the following year.
When her husband returned to Strasbourg in November 1549, she refused to accompany him, citing the baby's delicate health and the perils of winter travel. She finally joined him in June 1550, accompanied by her niece Anna Elter. A second daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
was born at Strasbourg in 1551. The plague took hold of the city in the winter of 1552/3, and Margaret Elter died about 1 February 1553, little more than a month after the death of her husband. The orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s, Margarita and Beatriz, became wards of the city. Philip Melanchthon offered to take one of them into his home in Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
, but the city refused.
In July 1555, Anna Elter married the cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
officer Guillaume Rabot de Salène, in a match arranged by the Elector Palatine. The couple promoted the interests of the orphans and probably engineered the publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
of Enzinas's Mémoires (which had already attracted the interest of the Protestant martyrologists John Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
and Ludwig Rabus
Ludwig Rabus
Ludwig Rabus was a German Lutheran theologian.-Life:He was born in Memmingen, in poor circumstances. He went to Strassburg, where he was supported by the preacher Matthäus Zell and his wife Katharina. In 1538 Rabus became a student at Tübingen University, and graduated M.A...
) to secure funds for their maintenance. By these means they succeeded in their goal of keeping the children out of the hands of Catholic relatives in Spain.